Welcome to the Town of Northport, Maine

On behalf of the Town of Northport, welcome to our website. This website is dedicated to the citizens of Northport. It offers residents and visitors ready access to information concerning municipal government departments, the services they provide, ordinances and a schedule of events.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WHILE WE LOOK TO HIRE A NEW TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR, OFFICE HOURS ON WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS WILL TEMPORARILY CHANGE:

With the resignation of Jeanine Tucker, our Town Clerk and Tax Collector, as of November 30, 2018, we will be temporarily changing our office hours due to a staffing shortage. Our Wednesday hours will alternate between being open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and we will be closed every other Saturday. Our hope was that by staying open every Wednesday until 6:00 p.m., it would help residents that are not able to do their office business during the work week. Since we realize that this may be confusing to keep up with when the office will be open, we have updated our website calendar as to the hours on those days, and we will post a calendar in the office. Please visit the calendar for more details.

We appreciate your patience while we fill this position, and assure you that we will return to our regular hours as soon as we can.

DUE TO UPCOMING HOLIDAY, THE FOLLOWING SELECTBOARD MEETING DATE HAS CHANGED:

The meeting scheduled for Monday, December 24, 2018 has been changed to Monday, December 17, 2018 - same time and place - Town Hall beginning at 6:00 p.m.

TRANSFER STATION RECEIVES HIGH PRAISE IN UNEXPECTED INSPECTION:

We recently had an unexpected inspection of the Transfer Station by the Department of Environmental Protection. The Inspector told our supervisor, Tim Patten, that it was in the top five of the best transfer stations and inspections that they have done. Neat, clean and well taken care of!!! A big THANK YOU to Tim and Drexel Bailey for keeping the area in great shape. Well done guys!!!

REMINDER OF PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS THAT YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR:

This is a reminder that you may qualify for the following property tax exemptions:

MESSAGE FROM TOWN ADMINISTRATOR BARBARA ASHEY REGARDING TOWN RIGHT OF WAYS:

As work continues around Town, and roadside mowing is planned for this summer, I thought it wise to remind residents about the Town's right of way on all Town roads. (This does not include Village roads or private roads.)

Depending on the width of the road, measured by number of rods, the Town owns from the center to beyond on both sides of the road. Example: a 3-rod road is 49.5 feet wide. The Town owns from the center to 24.75 feet on both sides. If you have plantings, walls, gardens, grasses, lawn ornaments, etc., in the Town right of way, it is subject to removal when work is done in that area. It will not be replaced.

The purpose of the right of way, which is a long standing law, is to maintain the traveled area to keep it safe for passage. This includes the road itself and the sides of the road to be maintained for ditching, culvert placement, etc. When traveling on roads you need to be able to pass safely without going around overhanging trees, brush, grass, etc. If you need to pull over, you need to be able to see if there is a ditch or drop off. Hence the purpose for the Town right of way.

Thank you.

OPEN BURN PERMITS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE, AGAIN, WITH NO FEE:

The free online Open Burning Permits through http://wardensreport.com, are available again.

RAPID RENEWAL NOW AVAILABLE IN NORTHPORT!!

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap has announced that Rapid Renewal is now available in Northport. Rapid Renewal is an e-commerce service allowing citizens to conduct business with municipal government and state government in one easy online transaction. With Rapid Renewal, citizens are able to quickly and easily renew their vehicle registrations and pay their municipal excise taxes online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Rapid renewal may be accessed through maine.gov/online/bmv/rapid-renewal/

WALDO COUNTY EMA HAS NEW FEATURE ON IT'S WEBSITE CALLED "SitRep":

The Waldo County EMA has a new feature on their site called "SitRep", where they will post short notice information that they want the public to be informed about, such as shelter status, warming center status, power restoration priorities, road closures, impacts of storms, protective action instructions (evacuation/sheltering in place) and other special instructions that they feel are important for the public to be aware of. They also plan to use the site during such events as canoe races and swims to pass along information of the status of race participants.

Please check out this website when there is an emergency.

TRANSFER STATION IS NO LONGER ABLE TO TAKE LEAVES AND OTHER YARD WASTE:

Following an inspection by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Transfer Station will no longer be accepting leaves or other yard waste. Sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.

IS YOUR HOUSE CLEARLY MARKED? CAN EMERGENCY RESPONDERS FIND YOU IF THEY NEED TO?

Several of our volunteers on both the Fire Department and First Responder units have voiced their concerns regarding the inability to locate some of our residents in an emergency. There have been a few 911 calls where responders were not able to find the residence in a timely manner because there were no house numbers that were easily visable from the road.

Please number your house so that you may be found quickly in an emergency, with a reflective sign that is also visable at night and is placed where they can be seen easily from the road. Get as creative as you would like. You may also purchase a numbered sign from the Town for $12.00, which will be made by Toupie Rooney, Town E911 Addressing Agent and First Responder, and will be available for pick up at the Town Office.

To order a sign, please complete this form and either mail or drop the form off at the Town Office along with your $12.00 payment. Remember, our responders cannot help you if they cannot find you.

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON THE EDNA DRINKWATER SCHOOL, IT'S SCHOOL COMMITTEE OR UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS, BUT YOU DON'T SEE IT HERE? CLICK ON OVER TO THE SCHOOL PAGE BY CLICKING THIS LINK AND YOU MAY FIND IT THERE.

NORTHPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS:

The Northport Fire Department is looking for new members to join their team. If you would like more information, please contact Fire Chief Paul Rooney or come to a meeting. They meet on the first Tuesday of every month at the Beech Hill Station, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

OPENINGS ON THE PLANNING BOARD:

There is currently one vacancy on the Planning Board for an alternate. If you are interested in filling this position, please contact Town Administrator Barbara Ashey by either stopping by the office, phone 338-3819 X6 or email administrator@northportmaine.org

OPENING ON ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS:

There is currently one vacancy on the Zoning Board of Appeals for an Alternate. If you are interested in filling this position, please contact Town Administrator Barbara Ashey by either stopping by the office, phone 338-3819 X6 or email administrator@northportmaine.org.

OPENINGS IN LAND USE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE:

The Town of Northport is seeking volunteers to fill openings on the Land Use Ordinance Committee as indicated in "Sec. 4.04 Paragraph B3" of the Administrative Ordinance. Applicants must be a resident of, and registered voter in, the Town of Northport.

Letters of interest must be submitted to the Town Office as soon as possible.

INTERESTED IN SERVING ON A COMMITTEE?

The Selectboard is always looking for community members to serve on town committees. If you are interested in serving you community and would like to serve on a committee, please contact the Town Office and let us know what your interests are.